Look And Feel

Definition - What does Look And Feel mean?

The "look and feel" of a website or piece of software describes its appearance and functionality. People may use this term to discuss how a website looks and how it feels to navigate it. The term can be used for any interface, but it is often used in describing websites.

Techopedia explains Look And Feel

Aspects of an interface look and feel include colors, shapes, icons, layout, text font and the use of various Web controls such as text boxes or checkboxes. In general, people who are describing the look and feel of a site talk about how it is laid out, and what it feels like to use it — for instance, whether it looks like it was produced professionally, or whether the layout was done tastefully and with an eye towards ease of use.

In some cases, people might break this down into two terms where the "look" of the site regards its appearance and the "feel" of the site involves how it behaves in response to user events. For instance, someone might be clicking into various pages using Web controls and talking about the "feel" of the site the same way they might talk about the handling of an automobile. They look at things like whether they get the kinds of results they expected from clicking an icon, how different pages are presented to them, and whether the navigation seems “clunky” or smooth.